It is desirable to provide surface vehicles, as for example, automotive vehicles--especially military and off-the-road equipment--with power to both front and rear wheels. It is also desirable that the front wheels, especially, of these kinds of vehicles, have disc brakes. This assembly provides both brakes and power in the confined space of a dirigible wheel.
The present application discloses a dirigible wheel with a disc brake, somewhat similar--but with significant modifications--to Inbody U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,260, dated June 15, 1976. However, the wheel disclosed in the present application is driven by power supplied to the wheel by a universal drive located on the vehicle. Various forms of front wheel driven automotive vehicles are known, as for example, that shown in Kost, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,817,407, dated Dec. 24, 1957. This last mentioned device has no brake of any kind. The assembly of the present application has the combination of power and brakes for both front wheels.
An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved power driven dirigible wheel and disc brake mechanism for all surface vehicles, as for example passenger automobiles, trucks, buses, tractors, all other land vehicles and aircraft landing gear, in which the steering axis of the wheel lies in the plane of the disc brake rotor on the wheel.
Another object is to provide a vehicle wheel mounted on a spindle which is rotatable in a hub, a brake rotor disc rotatable with the spindle, a brake caliper secured to the hub and a system of gears driving the spindle wherein the spindle, hub, brake rotor disc, brake caliper, and the system are all located within the confined space of the wheel.
Another object of the invention is to improve vehicular steering control in a power driven wheel by solving such problems as directional stability in a straight line or in cornering maneuvers, a sharper turning angle, and improved tractionability. This is possible because wheel alignment is set at zero degrees and the dragging or scrub forces are eliminated. Therefore, the device herein disclosed prevents a wedging effect common to conventional devices because the front wheels roll straight without toe-in or camber-adjusted angles. It should also be noted that fuel consumption is reduced because of these features in Centerline design. These features should be significant to the military forces in the event the enemy blows out a front tire. The driver will be able to control the vehicle at any speeds without losing a front tire from the wheel. The flat front tire provides the cushioning or buoyancy required to maintain directional control. The turning angle is no longer limited by U-joint angle restriction.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.